Draft-gear attachment.



E. W. NEWELL.

DRAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-23,1915- Patented July 10, 191?.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

WiTNESSE S E. w. NEWELL.

DRAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION TILED 1AN.23. 915. I v w 1,g3g 594 Patented July 10, 191,.-

2 srlEiiTs -SHhtx' Z.

W 1 ,g\ S k w y v. 5 M 1 WITNESSES INVENTOR UNTTED STATES PATENT EDWARD W. NEWELL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTING- HOUSE AIR BRAKE COMPANY, OF WILMERDING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Application filed January 23, 1915.

[u a6!) w/wm it may concern:

' Be it known that I, Enwaun \V. NuwnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gear At tachments, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to draft gear attachments, and more particularly to that type employing keys. \Vith the above type of draft gear attachment there is usually present a certain amount of lost motion or play between the moving parts dependent upon the nicetyof alinement and the accuracy with which the keys are fitted in the bearing slots and upon the extent that wear has taken place.

This lost motion subjects the gear to impact or hammer-like blows when butting or draft stresses are applied to the draw-bar and is therefore undesirable and moreover, the capacity of the draft gear is reduced since the full movement of the draw-bar may not be transmitted to the draft gear.

The principal object of my invention is to provide means for taking up and maintaining the draft gear rigging free from lost motion.

Broadly stated, I accomplish the above object by providing a wedge device for plac-.

ing the draft gear spring under initial compression andgo disposed that the initial coinpression of the spring reacts on the draft rigging to free from lost motion.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a draft gear cmi bodying my improvement; Fig.2 a vertical According gear attachment is of the he the type shown section thereof; Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. 1, showing how the parts are assembled; Fig. 4 a horizontal section of a draft gear with a slightly modified form of my invention applied thereto; Fig. 5 a vertical section thereof; Fig. 6 a transverse section on the line aa. of Fig. 5; and Figs. 7 and 8 central sectional views of a stationary key of in Fig. 1, but illustrating difi'erent forms of wedges for placing the draft springs under initial compression.

to the construction shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3 of the drawings, the draft type having a front key 1 passing throng a slot in the draw-bar 2 and movable therewith, the cen- Specification of Letters Patent.

take up and maintain the same,

DRAFT-GEAR ATTACHMENT.

Patented July MP, 191*";

Serial No. 3,888.

tcr sills 3 having elongated slots to provide for the movement of the key.

Rearward of themovable key 1 is a tionary key 5 which fits slots in the center sills, the keys 1 and 5 extending through the respective elongated slots 6 and 7 in the yoke 8 within which is mounted the draft gear The rear end of the draw-bar 2 bears against a block 10 having an elongated slot 11 for the stationary key 5 and the draft spring 12 of the draft gear 9 engages the rear face of said block. i

According to the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1, .2, and 3 of the drawings, the stationary key 5 is made up of a central wedge 13 and coiiperating side pieces 1%, so that by driving the central wedge therehetween, the side pieces are forced apart.

In assembling the draft gear parts in the car, the draft gear 9 and the yoke 8 are placed in position with the block 10 mounted between the rear end of the draw-bar 2 and the forward end of the draft spring 12. The side pieces 14; are then inserted through the slots in the center sills 3 and the slot 11 in the block 10 and the central wedge 13 is placed in driving position between the side pieces 14, so that the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 3. The central wedge 13 same under initial compression, since the draft gear is held against movement by the ypke8 which can not move rearwardly on account of the engagement with the key 5 at the forward ends of the slots 7.

When the central wedge 13 has been driven home, the same may be locked against withdrawal by a pin 15 or other locking device.

The rearward movement of the block 310 permits the rearward movement of the draw-bar 2, so that the slot therein is brought into alinement with the slots 6 in the yoke. The front key 1 may now be inserted in position, so that normally the parts will be in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The pressure ofspring 12 therefore acts constantly on the rear face of the block 16 and reacts through the eke 8, so that the forward ends of the s ots 7 I always hear tightly against the stationary keyh, thus 16 and 17 arranged made more obtuse,

and will eliminating lost motion or play, even after the parts become worn. The key 5 being wedged tightly in the slots through the center" sills, prevents any lost motion of this he ther forms'of wedges may be employed, such as those shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings. In the F 7 construction, the central wedge 13 is provided with separate pairs of oppositely inclined wedge surfaces at the ends of the wedge. a clearance space being provided intermediate the wedge surfaces. By this arrangement, the angle of the wedge faces may be so as to reduce the movement necessary to drive the wedge home.

l'n the Fig. 8 construction, two central wedges 13 are employed, which are adapted to be driven between the side pieces 14 from opposite sides. This construction permits the use of wedges half the length of the wedges employed in the Figs. 1 and 7 constructions, which may in some instances be desirable, Where clearance space is limited not permit the insertion of a long wedge. I

In Figs. 4, 5, wedge device for and 6 of the drawings, the placing the draft spring under initial compression comprises a memwedge member 18 is 'sembled by placing ber 18 having a Wedge shaped section and provided with cars 19 extending rearwardly and having elongated slots 20 for the stationary key 5". The member 18 has its forward face bearing against a follower 21, the draw-har 2 engaging the front face of the follower.

Said follower has lateral projections 2 adapted to engage in elongated slots 23 of the yoke 8'.

Mounted between the cars 19 of the memher 18 is a block 10 having a forward inclined face adapted to cotiperate with. the inclined wedge face of the member 18, the draft spring 12 hearing against the rear face thereof.

In the present instance, the parts are asthe draft gear 9 in position. within the yoke 8 as well as the follower pl'ate 21, and the block 10 with its rear face engaging the spring 12. The now driven home from below, which operates to compress the spring 12 and bring the elongated slot ll of the block 10 into alinement with the slots 7 of the yoke. The parts above described may now be mounted on the car with the rear slots in alinement with the slots in the center sills forthe stationary key, which is then inserted, as also the front movable key 1.

In this instance, the spring 12 presses the block 10 and the member 18 against the follower 21 and reacts through the yoke 8 to maintain the front ends of the slots 23 in the yoke tightly against the follower, so as to prevent lost motion.

Iaving now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a draft gear having a draft spring and a yoke inclosing the draft gear, of a wedge device for placing the spring under initial compression and acting as an abutment for holding the yoke against the reactionof the spring, thereby maintaining the yoke constantly under tension.

2. The combination with a draft gear having a draft spring and a yoke inclosing the draft gear, of a key extending through slots in the yoke and including a wedge for placing the spring under initial compression.

3. The combination with a draft gear having a draft spring, of a stationary key forming a stop under buiiing and draft stresses and a wedge forming part of the key for placing the spring under initial compression.

4. The combination with a draft gear having a draft spring and a yoke inclosing the EDWARD W. NEWELL. Witnesses:

A. M. CLEMnN'rs,

BARBARA HERBERT. 

